By
Amber Williams
amber@dmcityview.com
 |
“Five Women
Wearing the Same Dress” opens at Rex Mathis
Auditorium in West Des Moines on Sept.
28 and runs through Oct. 13. Space is
limited. Tickets are $15 available at
www.tallgrasstheater.org.
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Story by Alan Ball
Directed by Thomas D. Perrine
Produced by Tallgrass Theater |
From the darkly comedic mind of Alan Ball (two-time
Academy Award-winning screenwriter of “American
Beauty” and “Towelhead”) comes a play that will
warm the faces of giggling women and blushing
men in the cozy Rex Mathes Auditorium this fall.
“Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” comes in
perfect time for one of the most popular seasons
for nuptial ceremonies — and what life event
is more deserving of a little satire, especially
when it’s “funny cuz it’s true.” At first glance,
it appears comparable to the movie “Bridesmaids,”
as it features quirky, exaggerated characters
whom comprise the bride’s best ladies. But key
differences set “Five Women Wearing the Same
Dress” uniquely apart. For one, audiences never
get to meet the bride — the star of the ceremony
and her groom are mentioned enough throughout
the dialogue of the story to make their phantom
characters develop, but the real story lies
with the line-up of ladies in the bride’s corner…
or are they? As any woman knows, often when
your back is turned, the cats’ claws come out.
“She’s a rich, white, Republican bitch,” says
the bride’s own sister, Meredith (Rebekah Boyd)
after unwinding with a post-ceremony doobie
in her bedroom where the entire play is set.
Throughout the story, the women are introduced
one by one into the “hideout” bedroom, each
escaping the wedding reception for her own individual
reasons: sassy Meredith in search of a joint
she’d been saving; depressed Georgeanne (Bailey
Dean) because her ex-lover brought a hot date;
the “good Christian” and overly-sheltered Frances
(Katelyn McBurney) because she doesn’t know
anybody at the party; the clumsy lesbian Mindy
(Lauren Kacere) who can’t seem to get one foot
in front of the other in those heals; and the
loves-to-hate-love Trisha (Preshia Paulding)
who slept with almost everyone in attendance.
While each of the characters contributes her
own element of “crazy” to the collective plot,
they also have individual stories that unfold
through confessional conversations, snarky remarks
about the bride and groom and reflections into
their respective lives and pasts. It all builds
to a point of realization that triggers growth,
compromise and enlightenment to which all women
— and men, for that matter — can relate.
“I think you can go to any wedding and see some
of these women there,” said director Thomas
D. Perrine. “The story may be predominately
for women, but this is not a ‘chick flick’ per
se. Men will certainly laugh, too,” as the story
pokes fun at women as much as it does love,
marriage and weddings.
The fact that the first 15 minutes of the play
involves the emerging characters each looking
for something — rummaging through an oversized
purse, a jewelry box, an adjoining bathroom
— is so fitting that Ball had to either have
grown up with a lot of sisters or is inherently
in touch with his own femininity in order to
keep so true to female mores. And the one-liners
delivered by Trisha and Meredith will leave
jaws dropping in laughter at every show.
“Find me a man who is good looking, straight
and has job,” Meredith challenges.
To which the seasoned slut Trisha replies, “Honey,
maybe you should lower your expectations.” CV
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